Nuke Facility Raid An Inside Job?

But Matthew Bunn thinks it is nonsense to think this was a third-rate burglary. "These people cut through a 10,000 volt security fence. They disable sophisticated electronic intrusion detectors. They went straight to the emergency control center of the site. These people knew what kind of site they were in and knew what they were doing."

"You know, the unknown that seems to me the most worrying is why these people had so much confidence that they could take that place down," Pelley remarks.

"It does suggest that they had someone inside who was going to help them make sure that the security alarms didn't go off. And that security forces didn't respond in time," Bunn says.

To get to the uranium would have required penetrating more layers of security: fences, cameras and locks. All we can be sure of is that the gunmen had no trouble with the first fence and didn't seem worried about the obvious camera there.

Rob Adam says it has crossed their minds that the intruders had inside help. "And we put out a reward. We haven't had any takers to this point."

There have been multiple investigations, but 60 Minutes was surprised to find out that the police didn't talk to their prime eyewitness until we showed up.

Gerber says investigators didn't talk to him for ten months.

"Doesn't seem like they wanted to hear your story," Pelley remarks.

"Yeah, that is, it is strange for me as well," Gerber says.

The U.S. government is worried. It's offering to help secure Pelindaba and convert its highly enriched uranium into a form that won't explode.

Ambassador Abdul Minty, South Africa's nuclear policy advisor, gave 60 Minutes his government's answer: "Why should we get rid of it when others don't? Why are we less secure than others?"

"Because these men got so far into the plant. They got into the emergency control center. They shot a man. There was a second team waiting outside that got…into a gunfight with your security people," Pelley says.

"No, no. It's how you interpret events," Minty replies. "So we are of course concerned about it that anyone gets into it, but we have taken steps to try and prevent that in future."

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The two camera operators who missed the gunmen were fired. But the investigation is stalled, leaving no clue as to who was behind the assault on Pelindaba or whether their intent was to supply uranium for a nuclear bomb.


Produced by Graham Messick and Michael Karzis

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[bear8819-2009]

Regarding the disabling or the fence controller alarm by "cutting the cable", sophisticated alarms constantly communicate with sensors, so cutting or shorting will trigger the alarm. They can only be defeated by monitoring the communication and building something to emulate it. Clearly not possible in this case, suggesting security is primitive.

[rgheard]

As these sort of armed robberies are common in South Africa I think that it is stretching the point to try and link the invasion of the perimeter fence with nuclear terrorism. The probable reason for heading for the Emergency Centre is that there are many computers there and the theft of large numbers of computers from Corporate organisations is very common.

[little2scoot]

The onsite security force did the dirty deed. There is no map of a secure facility posted on a wall, they knew where the control room was. Nobody was hurt beyond that required to succeed. No gate guard, nobody at the security office were injured. If you are the one watching the hen house, you eat eggs. If you have two teams, is twenty minutes enough time? I'd say yes, or they would have taken longer for the burgulars to respond as a security force.

[mrvolleyba11]

Any small town ''''Barney Fife'''' can have automatic access to a nuke plant under 10 CFR 73.
Posted by usnrcmoron

Bu11sh*t, NO local police have "AUTOMATIC" access to a nuclear plant or facility. They may have responsibilities in case of an incident or attack at or near the facility but blanket or automatic access is not given to ANYBODY!!! Cops/police do not even have "automatic" or "blanket" access to military installations and a nuclear facility has even more restriction.

[inketolstoy]

And handling the material, according to Bunn, isn%u2019t very dangerous. "Unfortunately not. Highly enriched uranium is only very weakly radioactive. You can handle it with your hands."

Until you die very slowly twenty years later from cancer caused by exposure from the uranium. Too many people in this country are learning science from movies like the incredible Hulk.

[usnrcmoron]

This could easily happen to a U.S. commercial nuclear power plant or other commercial plant such as the 2 which make heu navy fuel. The vulnerability which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission fails to address is that the local police, who ultimately have responsibility and jurisdiction to neutralize and/or apprehend the intruders, are not subject to adequate background psychological, drug and alcohol checks. Any small town ''Barney Fife'' can have automatic access to a nuke plant under 10 CFR 73, the NRC nuclear security regulations. And for that matter, any domestic terrorist like McVeigh can join the local police force.
Sincerely,
NRC Moron

[sensiblejack]

maybe we should all pitch in and pay for a communications class for the South African government maybe something like "How to not look like a complete idiot when trying to deny the patently obvious"

Armed Burglars tring to steal laptops and copy machines, break into two teams and move to take out the command center after disabling sophisticated security systems.

riiiggghht

They would have been better off just saying no comment... as my mother used to say better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than open it and remove all doubt?

[shakehill]

Anton Gerber is a hero who is being ostracized by his government. How sad. Why didn''t 60m ask him who he thought it was, what nationality, what dialect? He fought with 4 of them, he knows. Once again, not politically correct. SA''s arrogance appalls me.

[bear8819-2009]

Regarding the disabling or the fence controller alarm by "cutting the cable", sophisticated alarms constantly communicate with sensors, so cutting or shorting will trigger the alarm. They can only be defeated by monitoring the communication and building something to emulate it. Clearly not possible in this case, suggesting security is primitive.

[bear8819-2009]

Regarding the disabling or the fence controller alarm by "cutting the cable", sophisticated alarms constantly communicate with sensors, so cutting or shorting will trigger the alarm. They can only be defeated by monitoring the communication and building something to emulate it. Clearly not possible in this case, suggesting security is primitive.

[bear8819-2009]

Regarding the disabling or the fence controller alarm by "cutting the cable", sophisticated alarms constantly communicate with sensors, so cutting or shorting will trigger the alarm. They can only be defeated by monitoring the communication and building something to emulate it. Clearly not possible in this case, suggesting security is primitive.